Nexen Inc. (“Nexen”), the assignee, has natural gas shale deposits in northeast British Columbia. Efficient and cost effective production of the natural gas shale deposits in the area is dependent upon the availability of water for fracturing operations. The expected daily gas production in the area will require an estimated annual volume of at least 1.3 MM m3 of water with such water generally coming from natural above ground sources and/or pre-treated underground sources. In order to maximize the value of this natural gas reserve, a reliable supply of sufficient quantities of water for fracturing stimulation programs is necessary to enable the delivery of the projected production levels.
One of the opportunities for achieving value is to streamline the process for providing water for frac programs through the innovative use of non-potable water.
It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a method and process for fracturing a hydrocarbon reservoir utilizing water from an aquifer adjacent said reservoir. The suitable aquifer could also be nearby and be either shallower or deeper than the said reservoir.
It is another object of the invention to use the method and process when fracturing a natural gas reserve.
It is yet another object of the invention to avoid treating the aquifer water prior to using it for hydrocarbon fracturing.
It is a further object of the invention to use the Debolt aquifer as a source of water for the fracturing of a natural gas reserve.
It is another object of the invention to provide said fracturing pump with construction materials in alignment with the well known recommendations published for material performance criteria from for example NACE, ASTME or ANSI trim packaging or the like in view of the corrosive nature of the fluids being pumped).
Further and other objects of the invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art when considering the following summary of the invention and the more detailed description of the preferred embodiments described and illustrated herein along with the appended claims.